I think very few ”car” people will argue with me on this point. A manual transmission is just more fun to drive! They also help the driver be more connected with the car, and you can get better acceleration with a manual tranmission.
Once you've mastered the art of driving a manual, the feeling behind the wheel is one of complete control. An experienced driver will run smoothly through gears and perform perfectly rev-matched downshifts. It becomes second nature.
There are a lot of people out there who just can’t be bothered to learn because automatics are more readily available and consumers no longer “have” to learn.
In the last few years we've also been given the option of “shiftable” automatics. In my opinion, this truly offers the best of both worlds.
The car is basically an automatic. There is no clutch for the driver to operate, just a shift knob (or steering-wheel mounted paddles) that allows the driver to change gears manually. The only complaint I have with this system is that sometimes you can feel a bit of a lag before the gear change actually happens – you aren't fully in control as you would be with a true manual transmission.
Some sportier cars have perfected this “shiftable” automatic transmission. No longer can people argue that a sports car needs to be a manual. Porsche boasts the PDK that shifts faster and smoother than any human being ever could with a dual clutch system that's set to revolution the world of transmissions (as far as I'm concerned). Other names such as ”Tiptronic, “Geartronic,” ”Touchshift” and ”Sporttronic” describe this type of transmission.
This technology is not just available on high-end, sporty cars, either. We are seeing these types of transmissions on economical cars from the likes of Honda, Hyundai and Mazda. Even people on a budget can afford cars with these manual-esque automatic transmissions.
I learned to drive on a manual car and I love the feeling of being connected with the car when I drive. Changing gears is almost like breathing: I don’t even think about it. My boyfriend and his father won’t even consider buying a car unless it's a manual. And yet, one of my closest girlfriends freaks out at the thought of even having to learn; why would she bother?
So what do you, the consumer, do?
It really comes down to personal choice. The advantages and disadvantages will have a different affect on each person. With today’s technologies you really can get anything and everything you want from your choice of transmission.
Once you've mastered the art of driving a manual, the feeling behind the wheel is one of complete control. An experienced driver will run smoothly through gears and perform perfectly rev-matched downshifts. It becomes second nature.
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
There are a lot of people out there who just can’t be bothered to learn because automatics are more readily available and consumers no longer “have” to learn.
In the last few years we've also been given the option of “shiftable” automatics. In my opinion, this truly offers the best of both worlds.
The car is basically an automatic. There is no clutch for the driver to operate, just a shift knob (or steering-wheel mounted paddles) that allows the driver to change gears manually. The only complaint I have with this system is that sometimes you can feel a bit of a lag before the gear change actually happens – you aren't fully in control as you would be with a true manual transmission.
Some sportier cars have perfected this “shiftable” automatic transmission. No longer can people argue that a sports car needs to be a manual. Porsche boasts the PDK that shifts faster and smoother than any human being ever could with a dual clutch system that's set to revolution the world of transmissions (as far as I'm concerned). Other names such as ”Tiptronic, “Geartronic,” ”Touchshift” and ”Sporttronic” describe this type of transmission.
This technology is not just available on high-end, sporty cars, either. We are seeing these types of transmissions on economical cars from the likes of Honda, Hyundai and Mazda. Even people on a budget can afford cars with these manual-esque automatic transmissions.
I learned to drive on a manual car and I love the feeling of being connected with the car when I drive. Changing gears is almost like breathing: I don’t even think about it. My boyfriend and his father won’t even consider buying a car unless it's a manual. And yet, one of my closest girlfriends freaks out at the thought of even having to learn; why would she bother?
So what do you, the consumer, do?
It really comes down to personal choice. The advantages and disadvantages will have a different affect on each person. With today’s technologies you really can get anything and everything you want from your choice of transmission.